Fire Claims Home On Silent Grove Church Road

Relief Effort Already Underway For Family

A firefighter on scene of a house fire on Silent Grove Ch Rd.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Firefighters were paged to a home in the 1000 block of Silent Grove Church Road Tuesday morning just before dawn to a report of a structure fire. The home was fully involved when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters on scene of a house fire on Silent Grove Ch Rd.

A tractor burns at the scene of a house fire on Silent Grove Ch Rd.

According to officials, the residents were out of town at the time of the fire but the home and contents were a total loss. Chalybeate Fire Chief Daniel Johnson said that relief efforts are already being organized for the family. The Red Cross has reportedly begun working with the family to help with temporary shelter.

The following sizes have been listed for those who can donate to the family's immediate needs: 

• 6-year old boy: sizes 6-8
• 4-year old girl: sizes 4T-5T, shoe size kids 10-11
• 12-year girl: women's jeans 4-6, medium tops
• Adult female, pants sz 15, XL tops
• Adult male: pants 36x32, 2XL shirts.

Drop off points for donations are South Edmonson Elementary and the EC 5/6 Center during school hours and the UAW Union hall on Plum Springs Loop in Bowling Green.

Firefighters on scene of a house fire on Silent Grove Ch Rd.

Chief Johnson said that the cause of the fire remains undetermined at this time. All county fire departments were paged to the scene. Johnson said that Chalybeate ran out of water within minutes and had to leave the scene to find an available hydrant. He said the closest one was either frozen or shut off down in the ground because water was not available there. 

Three departments from outside the county, Smiths Grove, Park City, and Richardsville were also paged in order to have enough water on scene to battle the blaze.

"I don't know what we'd have done without the guys coming in from outside the county," Johnson said. "We sure appreciate them and the good relationship we've developed over the years."

Johnson said the frustration with the hydrant is nothing new.

"I don't know what happened with the hydrant, but they won't do us any good if they don't work. This is not the first time we've had these issues. There have been others either shut off or in need of repair. We need these to work. People's property and most importantly, their lives are at stake in these situations."

No injuries were reported in the fire. 

Chalybeate Fire Department was first on scene. In addition to the outside departments, Kyrock Fire Department, WRECC,  and Edmonson County Emergency Management also responded.